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The Kill Artist
}} is the first book in the Gabriel Allon series. Gabriel Allon is recalled to the service of Israel after the Israeli ambassador to France is killed by an old enemy. Synopsis Acquisition In Vienna in January 1991, Mario Delvecchio finishes his work as an art restorer for the day and goes to meet his wife and son for supper. Afterward, he escorts them to their car because they are returning to Israel. The car fails to start then explodes, killing the man's son and gravely injuring his wife. Years later, Gabriel Allon is living in Port Navas, Cornwall. Timothy Peel, a bored youngster, begins watching the stranger's activities and learns that he is an art restorer. The stranger offers Timothy a job watching his residence. In Paris, Tariq al-Hourani blows up the car of Zev Eliyahu, the Israeli ambassador, killing Eliyahu, his wife and two bodyguards. He then shoots and kills Emily Parker, an American student he had being seeing as cover. Ari Shamron has returned to his position as director of the Office, which has been through a series of disasters. All is not completely well; Shamron is saddled with Lev Ahroni as his operations chief. He watches international news feeds and takes notes. Shamron calls Uzi Navot in Paris and issues some instructions, then travels to Jerusalem to brief the prime minister. He identifies the perpetrator as Tariq al-Hourani and asks permission to assassinate him, saying he will assign Gabriel Allon to the task. The prime minister agrees. Tariq al-Hourani arrives late to a villa on the island of Samos. He finds Achmed Natour waiting for him with a message from Kemel Azouri that Azouri wants to meet with him. Al-Hourani thinks Natour's actions are a threat to his security and kills him. Uzi Navot flies to Jerusalem with a video tape of the reception Zev Eliyahu attended right before he died. After He and Shamron review the tape seemingly endlessly, Uzi drives to Caesaria to visit Bella. Shimon from research identifies a waiter from the reception as Mohammed Azziz and Uzi reports the murder of Achmed Natour to Shamron. Shamron goes into the field. Al-Hourani meets with Azouri, who tells him that the Office suspects him of killing the ambassador, that Leila Khalifa has provided for his next layover in Amsterdam and that al-Hourani that he has been targeted for assassination by "an old friend." Ari Shamron shows up at the "sometimes solvent" Isherwood Fine Arts and tells Julian Isherwood that he needs to speak with Gabriel. Julian initially refuses to disclose Gabriel's location, claiming that without the painting Gabriel is restoring he will go bankrupt. After lunch, some wine and a promise of cash input from an anonymous investor, Julian gives in to Shamron. Ari goes to Cornwall and tells Gabriel that Tariq al-Hourani, who killed Dani and maimed Leah, killed the ambassador in Paris; he convinces Gabriel to return to active service with Israel. Peel sees Gabriel leave Cornwall. Ari meets with a publisher named Benjamin Stone who agrees to provide cash for the operstion but refuses to assist Julian. Ari meets with Gabriel and tells him the operation is approved; Gabriel responds that Ari should leave England quickly. Julian Isherwood is approached by Oliver Dimbleby with an offer to buy Isherwood Fine Arts. He rejects the offer. Learning that Gabriel has cancelled his standing order for supplies, Julian drivers to Cornwall, where Timothy Peel tells him that Gabriel left after talking with a man. Ari Shamron returns to Israel and briefs the Prime minister, including his difficulties with Benjamin Stone. The prime minister tells Ari to deal with Stone however he wishes. Assessment In Amsterdam, Leila has befriended a drug addict named Inge van der Hoff, who lives on a houseboat owned by her brother, Maarten. After staying with Inge for a while, Leila manufactures a reason to leave the city after convincing Inge to allow al-Hourani to stay on the houseboat. Al-Hourani arrives in Amsterdam and watches the home of the people he intends to kill. He then goes back to the houseboat, where he has sex with Inge. Afterward, he suffers an attack from his brain tumor. In Amsterdam, al-Hourani kills Inge because she can identify him. Soon afterward, Maarten van der Hoff arrives at the houseboat and finds his sister's body. When Martin challenges al-Hourani about the cause of Inge's death, al-Hourani kills him, also. He then goes to the Morgenthau residence and kills the maid. He waits for David and Cynthia Morgenthau and kills them as well. Jacqueline Delacroix, a fashion model who had worked with Gabriel during Operation Wrath of God and with whom she had an affair, has a bad experience at a photo shoot by Michel Duval; her friend Marcel Lambert tells her to take some time and go on a trip. Gabriel rents an apartment from which he observe the activities of Yusef al-Tawfiki, a Palestinian known to be an associate of Tariq al-Hourani; he begins to surveil Tawfiki. Gabriel hires Randall Karp, a former member of the Central Intelligence Agency, to set up listening devices to monitor Tawfiki. Gabriel sends a report to Ari Shamron. Adrian Carter meets with Ari Shamron in Tel Aviv. They tell lies to each other about how much they know about the assassination of Zev Eliyahu. Carter warns Ari that the Office should not strike back at the assassin because of the peace process. Ari reports the conversation to the prime minister, who tells him to make sure the operation goes off without the CIA learning about it. Gabriel finds Jacqueline and convinces her to act as the lover of Yusef al-Tawfiki. She demands payment of fifty thousand dollars. Gabriel tells Jacqueline about al-Tawfiki's background, including his having grown up in a particularly bad refugee camp in Beirut. Gabriel then tests Jacqueline's ability to shoot. Gabriel learns that al-Tawfiki intends to go to a nightclub; he sends Jacqueline to the same club, hoping the al-Tawfiki will be attracted to her. He is. Al-Tawfiki invites Jacqueline to his apartment. She accepts and they sleep together. While al-Tawfiki is showering, Jacqueline makes impressions of the keys to his building and apartment. She fears al-Tawfiki knows what she has done and tells Gabriel about her suspicions and that she has agreed to go out to dinner with al-Tawfiki the coming evening. Al-Tawfiki is suspicious; he passes a message to Kemel Azouri who travels to London to meet him. Al-Tawfiki tells Azouri about seeing an unidentified man in his neighborhood and about catching Jacqueline going through his property. Azouri tells al-Tawfiki to continue seeing Jacqueline. Restoration Comment Section headings are the author's. Questions * What was the significance of the tandoori chicken? * Why should it have been important to Uzi Navot? * How did Kemel Azouri know Ari Shamron's plans?